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Tap connectors


ChipshopCharlie
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Hello,

Has anyone here installed a set of French taps? The reason I ask is that I'm refitting my bathroom and the taps I have bought for the bath/shower have an offset coupling with them. I have all of the neccesary fittings (the salesman at Leroy Merlin gave me everything I need to get from 16mm copper to the taps) but I've no idea what to use to connect the offset fitting to the connector and the taps. I have fibre and rubber washers supplied, but I suspect I also need to use something else to seal the joint.

The obvious answer to me is PTFE tape, but I'm not convinced it will do the trick. Do I need something else (I've heard of somethig called 'tallow' in England) to seal the joint?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Charlie

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Hi Charlie,

Not an experienced French Plumber but fine UK wise I wonder if an end feed 15mm / 3/4 tap connector wouldn't actually slide into the 16mm pipe then could be soldered bit like back to front way of how we would do it here with the 15mm tube sliding into the fitting.

Regards making up the joint if using fibre washers I would use jointing compound like Hawk or similar (putty at a push) rubber washers require no sealant just don't overtighten.

I am gussing the rubber seals are for the tap to offset leg joints and the fibre for tap connectors but without seeing them is hard to comment further, hope this is of some help.

Regards,

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Hello Big Mac,

Thanks for your help.

Strangely, having checked, neither the rubber washers nor the fibre washers fit the connector end - they both seem to be for the tap. I'm planning to use the fibre washer and ptfe tape to make up the tap to the connector. I think I will be able to do these up tight, so I'm quite happy with that connection.

The connection that worries me is the offset joint to the treaded pipe connector. I've managed to put a couple of pictures up here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/90468294@N00/364357942/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/90468294@N00/364357943/

Apologies for the quality. My concern is to get them to meet the tap correctly, I don't think I can do the offset joint up to the pipe connector tight. Will using Hawk get me round this problem? By the way, can you buy Hawk in France? I'm assuming it sets, is that right? If so, are joints reusable?

I'm also curious as to why the pipe connector end of the offset joint has a serated thread (I think you can just see it in the picture). Is there a particular reason for this?

Sorry about the long list of questions!

Thanks again.

Charlie

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hi

 

These offset connectors are the same as you would find on some uk shower mixers and bath fillers for on wall mounting. One end goes into the back of the tap with a rubber washer ( do not overtighten ) the other end takes a normal tap connector which should then be fitted on the end of your 16mm pipe. Easy when you know how.

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You need to fit the feed pipes so that they are firmly fixed within the wall and at the same spacing as the fittings on the tap plus or minus a few millimetres.  When you fit the offset connectors you do not screw them in tight, but use some rotation and the offset to correct any misalignment or out-of-level.

The serrations are so that a good wrapping of PTFE is gripped and carried into the joint to make a seal. 

The fibre/rubber washers provided are usually for the joints where the tap screws onto the offset wall fittings.  Sometimes  small filters are provided to fit in this joint.

The pipes do need to be very firmly fixed in the wall otherwise the first time someone grabs the tap to steady themselves the whole lot will come away! 

Be careful when you rotate the offsets to level things up.  This type of tap tends to be fabricated rather than cast in one piece. I had one and attempted to rotate the offset with the tap attached and cracked the joint where the side pipes go into the main tap body. 

 

 

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You can buy the pipes to run up the wall as a ready made item. Two pipes at the right spacing, held 150mm apart by cross bars, angled connectors at the top, and angled out a few degrees forward at the bottom to bring them out of the wall. not overly expensive and easy to fit.
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Hi Mate,

 

Piece of pee to fit rubber washers in tap to offset spacer conventional tap connector (Prob 15mm 90 degree) to the other end cw fibre washer pretty much as expected.

 

Water hawk doesn't set up as such,  it simply helps the fibre washer make a seal.

as you have offset arrangement a jigged set up wont be needed as you can adjust the tails to suit simply by nipping them up a bit.

 

Good luck

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Thanks guys, you've all been very helpful.

The taps are plumbed in now and  no drips (touch wood).

Where I was going wrong was not using a tap connector with a fibre washer to connect the 16mm pipe to the offset connector, which now gives me a fully sealed joint that I can also rotate, if I need to.

Thanks again.

Charlie

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